Red and White
by Lady Valisere
Summary: Valentine's Day and White Day are undoubtedly two of the most romantic days of the year. Lightning and Hope come to terms with their feelings for one another and end up trying to give each other the perfect gift. Super fluff!
1. Red

Red and White

Chapter 1

**Red**

Happy Valentine's Day! I've had this fic planned out for the past few days and finally got to writing it the night before Valentine's Day. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

* * *

Lightning sat at the kitchen counter looking at the bowls in front of her. She had everything set out: the powdered sugar, the cocoa, the powdered milk, some salt, and shortening. She even made sure to get the most expensive and best quality of cocoa she could find at the store.

The clock on the wall chimed-indicating it was 12:00am-and Lightning drew her eyes up to it. She stared at the hour hand. It was officially Valentine's Day and she didn't know where to start with making his chocolate.

She collapsed on the counter and rested her head on her arms, her long pink locks falling around her. What was she doing? She didn't know the first thing about making homemade chocolate. The recipe she borrowed from Serah's cookbook made no sense to her. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to mix the cocoa with the sugar first, or the milk? Did it even matter?

She let out a sigh and sat up. She couldn't believe she was making homemade chocolate for Hope in the first place. Sure, she got chocolate for him every year. She bought some for Sazh and Snow too. Typically, the type she'd buy him would be more expensive than the chocolate she bought for the two other boys. Lightning valued Hope. Even four years after their adventure together, they were still very close to each other…to the point of Hope moving in with her.

Lightning felt her temperature rise and stomach churn. Hope moved in with her after completing high school. He had been living with her since the start of summer. Because Serah was living with Snow a few houses down, it was just Lightning and Hope in their quaint house on the top of a cliff, overlooking the sea. Serah was spending the night though because she didn't want Snow to find his Valentine's Day chocolate. She had worked on them the whole day, making beautiful heart shaped chocolates for him with intricate icing spelling out her love for him.

The whole thing just made her uncomfortable. She wasn't good at expressing her feelings. She wasn't even sure why she was making, or well, attempting, to make homemade chocolate for Hope in the first place. Lately, she had been feeling nervous around him. He was taller than her, standing at around 5'8 and had toned muscles that she sometimes caught herself admiring. His silver hair was a bit longer in the back but still as messy and feathered as ever. Her heart would race when her aquamarine eyes locked with his blue-green. He'd hold her glance, not looking away from her. She was always the one to break the contact, feeling breathless afterwards.

Lightning shivered and looked back from the recipe to the bowls of ingredients. She picked up the first bowl and started dumping its contents into the other. She haphazardly added everything to one bowl, estimating the proper amounts while getting powdered sugar all over her light pink tank top. She mixed the ingredients together, pouring the mixture into the heart shaped molds that Serah had used earlier. The idea of giving Hope heart shaped chocolates made her feel queasy. She put the pan in the preheated oven and set the timer, feeling proud of her achievement.

She sat back up on the barstool and leaned over on the counter once more. So many things had happened in the last four years. They were able to move back to Cocoon. Palumpolum had been spared, unlike the destroyed Bodhum. It was Hope's suggestion that Lightning buy the home a few blocks away from his. After visiting Lightning almost every day, Lightning extended the offer for Hope to move in with her. It was like he practically lived there anyway. She figured they might as well make it official.

Lightning closed her eyes and smiled to herself, thankful that she was able to see Hope every day. She couldn't help but feel that he understood her more than anyone else. She could be herself because he has seen every side of her, both good and bad.

Without realizing it, she felt herself become increasingly comfortable, the warm stove heating the entire room. The sweet smell of the cocoa calmed her and before she could stop herself, she fell into a deep sleep.

"Lightning…"

_I don't want to wake up. Five more minutes…wait…what is that smell?_

"Come on, Lightning! Wake up! I don't know what you thought you were doing. I told you to never cook unsupervised!"

_My chocolate!_

Lightning shot straight up to see Serah turning off the oven and opening the stove. A blast of hot, smoldering air shot out at the both of them followed by the unmistakable smell of burnt food.

"Was this supposed to be…chocolate?" Serah asked, looking at the burnt remains of Lightning's hard work. "Who were you making chocolate for?" she inquired, a bemused expression on her face.

"I didn't make it for anyone. I made it for myself," Lightning asserted, shutting the oven door so that the smell wouldn't be as potent.

Lightning was quite for a moment, listening carefully above her for any sign that Hope had woken up. The smell was pretty bad, but she was hoping that it hadn't drifted upstairs yet. Lightning would hate for Hope to wake up and catch her and her failed chocolate…chocolate that she was attempting to make for him in the first place.

"Stop lying, Light. You hate cooking. You wouldn't have made it for yourself. If you wanted chocolate you would have gone out and bought it. You were making it for someone special. Did you meet someone without telling me?" Serah asked, the corners of her mouth upturned in a smirk.

"Of course not," Lightning answered quickly, looking away from her sister and at the remains of her chocolate on the stovetop. She could feel her sister's eyes on her and when she looked away from her disaster and back at her sister, she knew that there was no point in hiding it. She was going to find out away. "I…I was making it for Hope, okay? It's not that big of a deal," she admitted, doing her best to fight back the redness that she knew was coating her cheeks. There was no fighting her embarrassment.

Serah lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her. "I knew it! I knew you'd eventually realize your feelings for him! The poor boy has been in love with you since you two met. It was only a matter of time before you returned his feelings!" Serah exclaimed, her eyes shining with delight.

"Yeah… sure. It doesn't matter now though. I completely ruined his chocolate," Lightning said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about that! We still have enough to make one heart. I'll help you with it so you don't mess up this time," Serah said as she grabbed the pan and dumped the ruined contents into the trash. "Let's get started."

Cooking wasn't as hard as Lightning once thought it to be. Well, at least not when you had someone to walk you through it. With Serah's help, she was able to measure the ingredients and mix them correctly.

"What do we do now?" Lightning asked as she took the melted chocolate off the stove.

"Pour it into the mold and then put it in the refrigerator to harden over night. I don't know where you got the idea to put it in the oven," Serah said, laughing softly at Lightning's foolishness.

Lightning ignored her comment and did as she was told. The last thing she wanted to do was mess it up again.

"So…what made you want to make chocolate for Hope?" Serah asked as Lightning shut the door to the refrigerator.

"I don't know," she answered softly, honestly not knowing why she did. "I think I just wanted to see him smile."

"Do you have feelings for him?" Serah questioned and took a seat on the opposite side of the island counter.

Lightning remained silent. There it was again…the feeling of acrobats performing in her stomach.

"How am I supposed to know? I've never liked someone in that way…not since I was a kid, at least. I don't know what it feels like to have those kinds of feelings for another," she admitted, leaning against the bare kitchen wall.

"Well, how do you feel around him?" Serah calmly asked in a way that made Lightning feel obligated to answer.

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Sometimes our eyes will lock and I can't breathe. Or I'll feel giddy and nervous around him. It only started a few months ago. All I know is that whenever he's around, I feel…complete and comfortable. It's only when our eyes lock or when he touches me that my heart starts pounding. It doesn't make any sense…and now I'm making chocolate for him," Lightning let out a soft sigh of frustration. She didn't know why he made her feel the way she did.

Serah smiled at her from across the island. "That sounds an awful lot like love to me, Light. That's how I felt when I first realized that I loved Snow. Don't try to fight your feelings and just go with it. It'll all work out." She stood up and walked over to where Lightning stood and rested her hand lightly on her shoulder. "I'm gonna go to bed. Make sure you do too. Try not to worry too much. Night," she said and left the kitchen, leaving Lightning standing by herself.

Lightning waited until Serah was up the stairs to turn the kitchen light off and go upstairs as well. She walked past Serah's room and stopped in front of Hope's. His door was ajar and she couldn't help but peer into the darkness of his room. The light from the hallway softly illuminated his tranquil face. His body was sprawled out across his bed, his arm dangling off the side. She watched his bare chest rise and fall before sharply turning her head away. She slowly shut the door and quietly went to her room.

* * *

Bright sunlight leaked in through the cracks in Lightning's curtains the next morning. She slowly sat up and extended her arms in a long stretch. She let out a loud yawn before swinging her legs out of bed and making her way downstairs in her light pink tank top and gray sweat pants.

Once downstairs, she opened the refrigerator to see that Serah had taken the chocolate out of the mold and placed it in a pink box with matching tissues paper. In white icing she carefully wrote "Hope". Lightning couldn't help but smile.

"Morning, Light."

Lightning nearly hit her head on the freezer as she jerked her head up and out of the refrigerator. She quickly slammed the door shut and spun around. _Good job, Lightning. Way to make a fool out of yourself._

"Good morning," she said as calmly as she could but Hope was looking at her with an arched brow and a small frown.

"Something wrong? You seem startled," he asked, walking over to her.

"No no. Of course not. I'm perfectly fine. I'm just not awake yet, that's all," she lied, feeling never more awake in her life. He continued approaching her and Lightning couldn't help but notice that he was only wearing green pajama pants and no top. She looked down, only to have her eyes focus on his crotch. Her eyes quickly shot up only to lock with his.

"Well…do you mind if I get some orange juice out of the fridge?" he asked, standing right in front of her and waiting for her to move so that he could get his juice.

She shook her head, her wavy pink locks flying around her face. "We're all out. Sorry."

"I just bought some yesterday…"

"Snow drank it all."

"He wasn't here yesterday."

"I drank it."

"Lightning…is there something in there that you don't want me to see?"

"Go stand over there," she said, pointing over to the opposite side of the kitchen.

Hope shrugged. "Alright then…" he said, giving her a curious glance before doing as he was told.

Lightning opened the refrigerator and quickly took the chocolate out. She shut the door and held the box behind her as she walked over to him. The whole time she felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest. Every step felt like a minute had passed as she walked over to where he stood. He looked confused, unaware of what was going on. She stood in front of him and stared into his eyes once more.

"I made this for you…" she said, revealing the chocolate and held it out to him. "I…I don't know how good it tastes but I worked really hard at making it so I hope that you like it…" she told him, her face turning bright red.

"You made this for me?" he asked in surprise, taking the chocolate from her and carefully examining it with bright eyes and a large smile.

"Of course. It has your name on it. It's for you," she admitted and tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear.

The next thing she knew, her face was gently cradled in his hand while his lips were perfectly placed on hers. Her eyes widened in shock before slowly closing, savoring the feelings of his soft lips against hers. Her whole body tingled with warmth as she pressed her lips against his with a bit more confidence. He slowly pulled away after a few seconds and gazed into her eyes.

"Thank you, Light," he softly whispered, his lips only an inch from hers.

"Sure thing…Happy Valentine's Day," she said, still in shock from the kiss.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too," he said before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers once more. Lightning reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting him to pull away. She felt him slide his arm holding the chocolate behind her back and pulled her close. She closed her eyes and felt him run his fingers through her hair with his other hand. This time she was going to let herself go with it.

* * *

AN: Yayyy! That was so much fun to write. =D This is part one of a two part fic. The next chapter will come on March 14th or a few days before; certainly no later. It'll be White, naturally, considering March 14th is White Day. Unrelated, I apologize for the delay on Separate Ways. I just started a new semester at my university and I'm taking an insane amount of classes (including a writing fiction class that will hopefully help me improve...we'll see). Chapter five should be out soon if all goes according to plan.

If you liked this story, reviews make my heart soar. They would be the perfect Valentine's Day present. 3

I hope you have a happy Valentine's Day!


	2. White

White

AN: Things did not go according to plan. As a result, this chapter is super late. Instead of my writing fiction class helping me improve in my writing, it really only hindered any leisure writing I wanted to tackle. It was really a stressful class and my teacher didn't make things any easier. I don't think I improved any either. So, as an apology, please accept this super long chapter that I poured my heart into writing. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Some days, Hope was convinced that he had died and gone to heaven. That's what it felt like to walk downstairs and be able to kiss Lightning Farron without having to worry if she would reciprocate or not; she always did. It was pure heaven.

Hope walked down the stairs as quietly as he possibly could, being extra careful to avoid all the squeaky spots he had well memorized. He tip toed down the hall and peered around the corner to see Lightning sitting at the island counter. To her right was a steaming mug of coffee and in front of her lay an open hardback book. She was wearing one of his grey t-shirts that hung loosely around her frame. Hope could barely see her red pajama shorts that peeked out from underneath the edge of his shirt. She had a pretty wicked case of bed head with a few strands of hair curling up in strange places. Still, Hope couldn't help but think that she looked absolutely beautiful.

He silently emerged from around the corner and crept up behind Lightning without making a sound. He even held his breath so that she wouldn't hear him breathe.

"Morning, Hope," Lightning said flatly without turning around and Hope let out a moan of frustration.

"How do you manage to do that?" he asked while standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her torso. He nestled his face into the crevice of her neck and breathed in her soft vanilla scent.

"I don't know. I can just feel when you're near is all," she said and placed her hands on top of his.

For the past month, this is how things were between the two of them. The kiss Hope mustered up the courage to give her on Valentine's Day changed everything between them. It brought all of his dreams to life and he couldn't be happier. They were now officially a couple and everyone had given them their blessing upon finding out. It surprised Hope to learn that they were all waiting for it to happen. It made him wonder if he was really that obvious when it came to admiring her.

They didn't dive right into their relationship though. It was something that developed over time. Every few days Hope became a little more forward with her. At first it was little things like giving her a kiss on the cheek in the morning and holding her hand under the table at dinner. Eventually it got to the point where they would cuddle while watching a movie and engaged in quick, but insanely hot, make-out sessions which always left Hope feeling both satisfied and wanting more.

The most important thing though was how comfortable they felt around each other. There never was an awkward moment and they always seemed to know just what the other wanted. They could read each other's verbal and body ticks like a book. Yet at the same time, they were always finding new and exciting things about each other. Like how Hope discovered a week ago that Lightning had a tendency to hum while brushing her teeth. Okay, so maybe not all of them were exciting, but Hope loved finding them regardless.

"And yet you still have no trouble sneaking up on me. I'm going to have to work on my Lightning-dar," he teased and leaned forward to kiss her cheek before letting go and walking over to the fridge. He pulled out some orange juice and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard.

"It's something that you'll develop with time," Lightning told him and took a sip of her coffee. "So what are your plans for today?" she asked and spun around on the spinning bar stool so that she was facing him.

"Snow wanted to see me today so I'll probably be doing something with him. What were your plans?" Hope asked when he saw Lightning's face fall a bit.

"Nothing, I guess. I have the day off today and I was hoping that we'd get to spend some time together. It's no big deal though," she admitted nonchalantly. Even though she claimed that it was 'no big deal', Hope had a feeling that she was a tad bit let down. Lightning had a way of trying to cover up how she was actually feeling. Hope did his best to look past it.

He frowned and gathered her in his arms. He held her close and ran his fingers over her messy hair.

"I'm sorry, Light. I wish I had known or I wouldn't have told Snow that I'd spend the day with him," Hope apologized and let her go.

"It's fine. I have tomorrow off too. We can spend time together then," she told him with a smile. It was rare for Lightning to have two days off in a row but Hope knew that she had arranged for that specially. Tomorrow was White Day and the whole reason Hope was going out with Snow is so that they could shop for their significant others together. Hope had been looking before but when he told Snow that he was having trouble finding something, Snow offered to help him look.

"That's good. I'll do my best to be home early tonight too," he told her, hoping that it would make her feel better. Hope knew that she wasn't all that upset but he still wanted to spend time with her too.

"Don't you remember? We're having dinner at Serah's tonight. I can always meet you there," she said and Hope nodded in agreement.

"That sounds good. I'm gonna go change and head over to Snow's. I'll see you tonight," he said and leaned down to give her a kiss. He pressed his lips gently against hers and rested his hand on the back of her head. He slowly pulled away and smiled at her before running upstairs to change his clothes. No matter how many times he kissed her, he was always left with butterflies in his stomach.

Hope quickly pulled off his pajama pants and changed into some dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt. He bent down to pull on his black converse and tied the laces.

He went downstairs and caught Lightning's eye as he went past the kitchen. She gave him a small smile.

"Have fun with Snow," she said and Hope nodded.

"I'll do my best," he told her and waved goodbye. He grabbed his key ring off the hook by the door and walked outside.

It was a beautiful day in Palumpolum. The sun was shining brightly and glistening off of the many buildings in the distance. The temperature was a little chilly for mid March but he found it refreshing.

He walked down the stairs and down a few blocks to Snow and Serah's house. He knocked on the door and waited for a moment until it swung open. Snow stood at the entrance with a huge smile on his blond stubble-covered face. Hope was then pulled into a bone crushing hug.

"How you doing there, Hope?" Snow asked as he placed his large palm on top of the boy's head and ruffled his silver hair. "Ready to go buy a present for your lady?" he asked and released him. Hope took a deep breath after having all the air knocked out of him by Snow's hug.

"Yeah. Let's get going," he said.

"I'll be back in time for dinner, Serah!" Snow called into the house and shut the door behind him.

The pair started walking out of their neighborhood on the cliffs that overlooked the ocean and down towards the market district of Palumpolum.

A lot of people were out on the streets today. Palumpolum is typically always bustling with busy shoppers, but today the amount seemed to have doubled. Hope could only guess that it was due to last minute White Day shopping. It made him feel a little guilty. It wasn't that he had put off buying Lightning a gift. It was more so that he couldn't find the right present.

"What are you thinking about?" Snow asked, snapping Hope out of his thoughts.

"Nothing really. I just don't know what I should get Lightning. I don't know what she'd like," Hope mused. He had already gone over the stereotypical gifts in his head. There was no way he was giving her chocolate after she gave him some. He didn't think she'd like candy much. He didn't know the first thing about jewelry she would like. He was at a total loss.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll find something."

"Did you already get your present for Serah?"

"Yeah. I was lucky enough to find some cooking contraption she wanted. I have no idea as to what it does. All I know is that she really wanted it," Snow told him and Hope's heart fell even further. "Hey, don't look so grim. We'll find something," Snow reassured him and patted Hope on the back.

For the next hour, Hope and Snow visited various shops in the market district. They browsed through jewelry that Hope knew he could never afford, looked through countless books trying to find one that Lightning would like, and even looked at items for gunblade maintenance. Hope couldn't find anything that would be special to her though.

"You know, Hope. I think Light would like anything that you get her," Snow said matter-of-factly.

"I know that. It's just that this is our first White Day together. I just wanted to get something special for her is all," Hope said as he looked down through another glass case at some necklaces.

"Looking for something special for a special lady?" the man behind the case asked and Hope looked up to see him smiling at him with a large, toothy grin. He was an older man with tan skin and brown slicked back hair. He wore a long black coat with a gray undershirt. Around his neck was a silver chain with a leaf hanging on it.

"I'm a little late with getting her a White Day present," Hope explained and the man closed his eyes and nodded in understanding.

"Can't find the right gift, eh? Well, look no further. All of my pendants are half off and each one has a special meaning," he said and motioned to the necklaces in the glass case.

"Special meaning?"

"Correct! See, each one of my pendants is from nature. Each flower has a special meaning. For example," he bent over to open up the glass case and pulled out four flower pendants. "This red rose means true love, the iris is a symbol of faith, the tiger lily represents pride, and this one," he held up the last necklace, "this almond blossom symbolizes hope."

Hope stared at the last flower. It was a beautiful light pink flower with dark pink in the middle. Its petals were speckled with dark pink spots and Hope knew it was perfect.

"I'll take it," Hope said with a smile and pulled out his wallet.

As Snow and Hope walked back to Snow's place, Hope's wallet was substantially lighter but he felt good about his final purchase.

"Good pick. Light will definitely like something related to her precious little Hope," Snow teased, batting his lashes and putting on a love struck face. Hope punched him on the arm.

"Shut up," Hope said, fighting back a smile.

Hope's attention was suddenly shifted to a large crash coming from the dark alley off to his left.

"Did you hear that?" Hope asked and Snow nodded. Hope peered around the alley and wandered down it a bit. There were a lot of trashcans and a few empty beer bottles scattered about. He stopped in his tracks as he saw what had made the crash.

Next to an overturned trashcan was a white, floppy eared dog. The dog couldn't have been older than a few months. Hope stared at it as it dug through the trash, unaware of Hope's presence. After a minute, the dog looked up and locked eyes with Hope.

"Hey, there. I'm not gonna hurt you," Hope said, crouching down and moving a bit closer to the dog.

The dog watched Hope carefully as he approached. Hope held out his hand and the dog came a bit closer. His cold black nose touched Hope's exposed fingertips and the dog gave his finger a small lick. He came a bit closer and when he did, Hope scooped up the dog into his arms. The dog struggled for a moment, kicking his legs in an attempt to get away but Hope held on. He brought the dog out of the alley and Snow stared at the dog in Hope's arms.

"You found a dog."

"I found a dog."

"And you plan on keeping this dog?"

"Yes."

"Alright then," Snow said and walked over to Hope. He reached out and scratched the top of the dog's head. "He's pretty cute. Just a puppy too. I guess it's a good thing he'll be going to a good home. Let's go show Serah and get him washed up before Lightning gets there," Snow said and the three hurried off towards Snow's house.

* * *

"Awww! Isn't he just the cutest little thing you've ever seen? Yes you are!" Serah cooed as she played with the dog in their living room. The puppy ran around the house rambunctiously, clearly happy to have been given some fresh water and food.

"Man, what is it with women and dogs?" Snow mused, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Serah. We've got to go get him washed up before Lightning gets here. I don't want her to see him all smelly and gross," Hope said as he chased the dog. He cornered him and lifted him into his arms once more.

"It's fine," she dismissed with a smile and a wave. "Are you going to be giving him to Lightning?" Serah asked and Hope nodded in affirmation. "I bet she'll love him. We never had pets growing up. Our parents wouldn't allow it. I'm sure he'll make her smile. I mean, who could resist such a cute little face?" Serah praised, sticking her finger in front of him and bringing it down on his black nose. The dog shook his head in annoyance.

"Come on, Snow," Hope said as he started down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Oh no, man. It's your dog. You have fun washing him," Snow said, holding up his hand and taking a step back.

"Oh, go help Hope, Snow," Serah said, giving her husband a push towards Hope.

" This will be interesting…" Snow said in defeat and followed Hope into the kitchen.

Snow found the stopper and put it in the drain so they could fill up the sink. Hope carefully placed the dog into the stainless steel sink. The puppy's head was barely looking over the side as it eyed the two of them cautiously. Snow pulled up on the spray hose so they would be able to wash him better.

"You ready?" Hope asked Snow and he nodded. "Alright then," Hope said and turned the water on.

The water shot out of the faucet a lot faster and stronger than expected. It startled the puppy, causing him to jump out of the skink and into the air. Snow let go of the spray hose to catch the dog at the same time Hope did. While Hope and Snow held the dog in midair, the hose continued to spray water all over the kitchen.

"Grab the hose!" Snow demanded and Hope lunged for the wildly flailing hose. He got a perfectly aimed shot of water to the face which completely soaked his hair and front side. Snow wasn't fairing much better as he joined in the fight to grab the hose with one hand. The water splashed all over him as well, effectively drenching him.

In a stroke of brilliance, Hope brought his hand down on the faucet level to cut off the water supply. The two men stood in front of each other, looking as if they had just jumped into a pool. Everything around them was dripping wet with water and Serah stood at the entrance of the kitchen with her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Hey, babe. Don't worry, we'll clean it up!" Snow said in an attempt to console his wife who just walked out without a word. Snow and Hope exchanged empty glances before doubling over in fits of laughter.

"And the water…and the hose…and the kitchen!"

"The dog! And the water!"

"Look at us!" Hope exclaimed and they continued to laugh even harder while the puppy stared at them in confusion.

It took them a while to catch their breaths but they eventually managed to give the dog a proper bath. They didn't even care when he shook water all over them. It wasn't like they could get anymore soaked than they already were.

They handed the puppy off to Serah to look after while they set to work on mopping up and drying the kitchen. It didn't take them long with their teamwork but they were still exhausted afterwards.

After they finished, Snow went upstairs and returned with a small pile of clothes. "You can borrow some of my clothes while we dry yours," Snow told him and handed him a black t-shirt and some shorts. "Sorry if they're a little loose on you."

"A little?" Hope said, holding up the giant shirt up to his skinny frame.

"At least you'll be dry?"

"Light's going to get a kick out of this…" Hope mumbled as he walked past Snow and towards the bathroom.

Snow chuckled and ran his hand through his golden hair. "Yep, that she will."

Hope emerged from the bathroom a moment later. Snow's t-shirt was more of a dress on him and the shorts looked like pants that were too short. He looked like a little kid playing dress-up in his father's clothes.

There was a quick knock at the door and Serah held onto the dog so he wouldn't run out the front door. Hope braced himself for embarrassment when Lightning came in. Snow opened the door and Sazh and Dajh entered. Hope couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. Maybe if he was lucky, his clothes would be dry before Lightning arrived.

"Look, Dad! A puppy!" Dajh exclaimed and ran towards the dog. "Is he yours, Serah?" the boy asked, looking up at her with his big brown eyes.

Serah shook her head. "He's Hope's White Day gift to Light," Serah told him and patted the puppy on his head.

"Can I play with him?"

"Sure. Take him to the upstairs bathroom where it won't be a problem if he has an accident. We have to keep him hidden from Light until tomorrow or the surprise will be ruined," Serah explained.

"If he has an accident…do I have to clean it up?" Dajh asked with a face of disgust.

"Nope. That's Hope's job. He was the one who brought him home," Serah said to Hope with a menacing smile spread across her face. Hope let out a small groan while Dajh scooped up the small dog and carried him upstairs.

Sazh eyed Hope suspiciously and looked back and forth between Hope and Snow. "You two go swimming or something?" he asked, taking notice of their wet hair.

"Sure did feel like it," Snow said and shook his wet head.

"We…kind of failed at bathing the dog," Hope admitted and Sazh let out a soft chuckle.

"You guys are too much. Do ya need any help getting dinner ready, Serah?" Sazh asked.

"A little help might be nice," Serah said and waved Sazh into the kitchen.

A moment later there was another knock on the door and Snow shot an evil grin in Hope's direction.

"I wonder who that could be!" Snow loudly announced, dramatically leaning forward and opening the door open wide. Lightning walked in and Snow shut the door behind her. She stared at Hope with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Nice clothes," she bluntly commented and Hope could feel his cheeks burning. "They might just be a little bit too big though, don't you think?" she teased, leaning forward and tugging on the edge of his shirt. "What happened to the clothes you left in?"

Hope froze for a moment. He hadn't planned out what his excuse was going to be and he mentally kicked himself for it.

"Um, well…you see. Snow and I were walking through town…and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Then, there was this fountain! It was huge! You know the one I'm talking about, right? The white one? With the water?" he babbled and Lightning's face remained expressionless. "So I tripped over the ledge and fell in. I got soaking wet and had to borrow some of Snow's clothes," he told her, hoping that his lie was authentic. He couldn't help but doubt himself as Snow shook his head in disbelief behind Lightning.

"Then why is Snow's hair wet too?" Lightning pointed out as she slowly turned to face Snow.

"I pulled him in with me," Hope spat out and Snow nodded his head enthusiastically in agreement.

"That's really what happened, Light," he said and patted her on the shoulder. "You should have seen the splash we made. There was water everywhere. Of course, that was mostly my fault but Hope was the one who was strong enough to pull me in too," he said and gave Hope a discreet wink.

"Okay then…you two are so weird," Lightning said and rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go see Serah," she informed them and walked past the two boys.

"You're a horrible liar," Snow told him and Hope hung his head.

"I know."

Dinner was always a special occasion for all of them. They tried to get together once a week to eat together and stay in touch. It was hard for them to be apart after going through everything they went through with one another.

Snow sat at the head of the table with Serah to his right and Sazh to his left. Lightning sat next to Serah and next to her was Hope in his now dry clothes. Dajh sat next to his father and next to him was an empty plate. Across from Snow at the opposite end of the table was another empty plate. It was a tradition to place two empty pates out for their two friends who couldn't be there with them. Although it was a sad reminder of the fact that they couldn't be there, setting the plates out for them made them feel a bit more connected.

They all feasted on a delicious meal of mashed potatoes and roast beef that Serah prepared with the help of Sazh. They had perfectly crisp, buttery biscuits that melted in Hope's mouth and warmed his stomach. It wasn't every day that he got such a good meal. As much as he loved Lightning, he knew better than to eat her cooking. He often prepared meals for them and while he wasn't a bad chef, his cooking couldn't compare to Serah's.

After dinner, they all cleaned up their plates and sat around the dining table playing card games. Hope would take a break every once in awhile to go upstairs and check on the puppy. He was sleeping, clearly exhausted after playing with Dajh for so long. Still, Hope liked to keep a close eye on him.

Hope could tell that Lightning was curious about his disappearances.

"What are you up to?" she asked the fourth time Hope returned.

"Nothing," he said with a forced smile. "Who's turn is it to deal?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I'm onto you, Hope Estheim," Lightning whispered in his ear before taking the deck of cards and shuffling them.

They continued to play until midnight. Dajh was curled up fast asleep on the couch in the living room after he got tired of playing cards. Hope looked up and he locked eyes with Snow. Hope nodded his head and Snow took that as his queue to excuse them.

"Well, we better get to sleep. Thanks for coming guys. It was really fun," Snow said, standing up and putting the cards away. "You're tired too, aren't you, babe?" he asked Serah who nodded.

"It's been a long day," she agreed with a yawn.

"I better get Dajh home. Thanks for having us over. Make sure you come over to my place next week," Sazh said with a wide smile.

"Will do. Let's get going, Hope," Lightning said. She walked over and gave Serah a quick hug and nodded to Snow.

"Thanks again for everything," Hope said and walked out the door with Lightning and Sazh who was carrying Dajh. They waved goodbye to Sazh and walked up the empty street which was illuminated by streetlights. Hope had already arranged for the dog to spend to night over at Snow's and Snow agreed to drop the dog off in the morning so Hope could surprise Lightning.

The two of them walked home hand in hand with little conversation. They were just enjoying the alone time they had together. They entered their house and kicked off their shoes. Hope didn't bother turning any lights on since he knew they'd probably go to sleep soon anyway.

"I'm exhausted," Lightning said, stretching her arms high above her head. Hope took the opportunity to slide his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"You? Exhausted? With all the stamina you have? I don't think I ever saw you tired while we were on our journey together. I'm the one who was typically exhausted," he told her and leaned down to kiss her neck.

"You were a lot younger then. You became so much stronger though," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding her fingers through his hair.

"I know. Back then there was no way I'd be able to do this." Hope swiftly leaned down and scooped Lightning up bridal style. He smiled as she let out a soft laugh and he carried her up the stairs and to her bedroom. He walked into her dark room and gently set her laid her down on her bed. He held himself over her and gazed into her eyes that reminded him so much of the Bodhum sea.

Lightning reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. She slowly traced his jaw line with her fingertips and lightly grazed her fingers over his lips, so tenderly that Hope could barely feel it. Hope took her hand in his and kissed her fingers.

"What are you thinking about?" Hope asked as he looked over Lightning's distant expression.

"It's just strange watching you grow up only to fall in love with you," Lightning admitted and Hope felt his heart skip a beat. Lightning rarely ever threw around the word 'love' and Hope knew it wasn't an easy thing for her to say. He also knew that she wouldn't say it if she didn't mean it.

"I guess it's a lot easier when you've been in love from the beginning," Hope whispered and brought his lips down to meet hers.

Hope felt her tense up for a second before relaxing and pressing her lips more firmly against his. He slid his arm underneath her back and tangled his fingers in her silky hair. Her familiar vanilla aroma filled his lungs as he breathed in her sweet scent.

Hope was a little surprised when he felt Lightning run her tongue against his bottom lip. Typically, she liked it play it safe and he was the one to initiate more. It excited him to know that she was taking the lead. He didn't want her to be cautious around him. There was no need to protect him from her when he wanted her so badly.

He gladly parted his lips to allow her to enter. He rolled over on the bed and pulled her on top of him. Lightning's leg settled between his, pushing up against his arousal. It sent pleasure straight to the pit of his stomach. Hope slid his hands underneath her shirt, feeling her soft, cold skin meet his warm hands. Their tongues blissfully explored each other's mouths while Hope savored her intoxicating taste.

Lightning lightly dragged her nails down his neck and over his chest. She broke the kiss for a moment and stared down at him. Even in the dark, Hope could tell how flushed her face was. Her pink, swollen lips curled upwards and she tilted her head slightly to the side. Her eyelids lowered slightly and Hope reached up and stroked her cheek lovingly.

She leaned over and tenderly kissed him. The lust that dominated the previous kiss was quickly replaced with pure love. Hope wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her warm body close. He closed his eyes and focused on how supple and affectionate Lightning's lips felt against his. Her hair tickled his cheeks as they held the kiss.

For a moment, Hope felt as if time had stopped. All he could feel was the euphoria that rushed through his veins and went straight to his heart. Kissing her was everything he had dreamed it to be and more, and he had spent quite a few years dreaming about it too.

Lightning pulled away but kept her face close to his. She rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. He could feel her breath warm his lips with every breath she took. Hope could tell that she was savoring the moment just like he had. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world to have been able to share it with her.

She opened her eyes, smiled her special smile that he loved seeing, and climbed off of him. Hope sat up and watched as she crawled to the head of her bed and began to strip down to her underwear. Hope couldn't help but take notice of the simple black matching bra and panties she wore. Even in such simple underwear, he still had to suppress his desires to slide them off of her.

Lightning got off the bed and walked over to her dresser where she pulled out a red t-shirt of his. She slid it over her head, got back into bed, and crawled under the covers. Hope stood up and walked over to where she laid and bent down to kiss her forehead. He turned around to leave when she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Don't leave," she said, making it sound more like an order than a request.

He smiled at her uncertainly. "You sure?"

"Yes," she said definitively and let go of his hand. Hope nodded and walked to the other side of her bed. He quickly pulled off his clothes so he was left in only his dark blue plaid flannel boxers. He climbed into bed next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She grabbed onto his arm and held it close to her chest. His legs curled up against the back of hers and he rested his head on same pillow as her. He smiled and closed his eyes, thrilled to hold the woman he loved in his arms.

* * *

Lightning slowly opened her eyes as the sunlight leaked in through her curtains. She let out a sigh as she noticed that she was in bed alone. Had the night before been a dream? She kicked the covers off and crawled over to the edge of the bed. She looked down to see a pile of Hope's clothes right where he had left them the night before. She flopped back onto the pillows and smiled to herself: nope, not a dream.

Still, she knew that she couldn't stay in bed all day and she was itching to know where Hope went. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked out of her bedroom. She noticed Hope's bedroom door was slightly ajar so she slowly pushed it open to reveal an empty room. The clock next to his empty bed read 8:45AM.

Her footsteps creaked under her weight as she went downstairs. She walked past the empty living room and into the kitchen where she found Hope sitting at the island with his back facing her. He didn't say a word and didn't turn around as she walked in.

"Hope?" she questioned, not entirely sure why he didn't acknowledge her presence. She suddenly became very alarmed and questions shot through her head like torpedoes. Was he mad about last night? Did she move too fast? Did he not want to sleep with her? It wasn't like they did anything, really. He just slept in her bed. That wasn't bad for couples to do. Why was he acting so strange?

He spun around on the barstool and stood up. Lightning's eyes grew wide as she stared at the white puppy in his hands with a necklace around its neck.

"Happy White Day, Light," Hope said with a huge smile spread across his face. He held out the dog to a speechless Lightning who took it in her arms.

"You…you got us a dog?" she asked, looking down at the puppy who was staring up at her with big brown eyes.

"Well, it wasn't exactly planned, but yeah. What do you think of him?" Hope asked, reaching out and petting the dog behind his ears.

Lightning wasn't sure what to think. She didn't know the first thing about taking care of a dog; still, she couldn't help but feel excited by the puppy wiggling in her arms. She wasn't one for cute things. It wasn't often she could consider an animal cute, but there was something endearing about him.

"I'll do my best to take care of him," she said with a small smile and rubbed her hand down his soft white fur.

"I'll do my best too," he said and Lightning smiled as she recalled the time where she promised that she would protect him. Now she had a little puppy to protect too. She felt a bit frightened, but she knew that she'd be able to raise a happy dog with Hope's help.

"What's this around his neck?" Lightning asked, sliding the necklace off of the dog's neck. She held it up to get a better look. A light pink flower pendant hung off of a sparkling silver chain. "It's pretty," Lightning admitted, blushing slightly. She wasn't used to Hope getting things for her, especially jewelry. It looked expensive too.

"It's an almond blossom. I bought it because…well, the man who sold it to me kind of mentioned that the almond blossom meant hope," he nervously told her, this time turning a light shade of red himself. Lightning couldn't help but notice he turned as pink as the flower necklace he gave her.

"Thank you, Hope. I'll treasure it. Can you help me put it on?" she asked. She put the dog down on the kitchen floor and handed Hope the necklace. She turned around and lifted up her hair while Hope reached around her and draped the necklace over her neck. She heard the claps softly click as it closed and she turned around to face him. She looked down and saw that it fell right next to the lightning bolt necklace she always wore. Although it felt a little foolish, she liked how they were right next to each other and she hoped that Hope would always be by her side.

She looked up to see Hope staring at her.

"What? What is it?" she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious as he studied her.

He shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking how beautiful it looks on you is all," he said and leaned over to give her a soft kiss.

Before they started dating, Lightning couldn't deny that kissing Hope crossed her mind once or twice. She thought for sure that it would feel strange. She thought it would be like kissing her brother. She quickly came to realize that she couldn't be more wrong. Kissing Hope was as natural as breathing. She loved how gently he kissed her and the way his soft lips fit hers perfectly.

He pulled away after a moment and Lightning looked down at the dog that was sniffing around the kitchen floor.

"What are you going to name him?" Hope asked and Lightning watched the puppy.

"Well, you gave me to him wearing an almond blossom necklace. The only name that makes sense to me is Almond," she said with a small smile. "Almond! Come here, Almond!" she called out and clapped her hands together. The dog looked up at her for a second before quickly looking away and resumed his exploring.

"We better go get a collar and a tag for him then," Hope said, walking over to him and scooping him up in his arms.

"We'll need some toys too, right? And some dog food…and bowls…a leash," Lightning listed, going over all the things she thought he'd need aloud.

"Yes, those too," Hope said and took Lightning's hand in his. "Let's take him to the pet store," Hope suggested and Lightning nodded.

"Hey, Hope. Thank you. For everything," Lightning said, hoping that he knew how much he meant to her. She looked up at his bright blue-green eyes and watched as the rays of sunlight light up his silver hair. It gave him an almost angelic glow. She felt him give her hand a quick squeeze.

"You're welcome," he said and gently kissed her forehead.

What he didn't know was that even though Lightning loved her gifts, having him in her life was the best gift of all.

* * *

AN: And that's it! I'm happy to finally put a ending to Red and White. I had the flower necklace planned out months ago but a part of me is happy I waited so long to write this chapter. I wouldn't have had nearly as much time to write everything I wanted to if I were in school. All's well that ends well, yes?

I'm still working on Separate Ways and plan on getting back to it now that this is finished. I really wanted to give a proper ending to this fic since I really did have a blast writing it. If you enjoyed this story, please drop a review letting me know. They make me smile. :)

-Lady Val

P.S. There will be grammatical errors for you to laugh at. I proofread it and my beta did as well but I haven't had my lovely second beta read it yet but he will soon. I'll make edits as soon as I have him look over it so please excuse my silliness.


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